Eric Church Dedicates New Song to Aid Victims of Hurricane Helene

Singer Eric Church performs at Stagecoach 2016 in Indio, Calif., on April 29, 2016. Valerie Macon /AFP via Getty Images

Country music singer-songwriter Eric Church is giving back to his home state of North Carolina in the wake of the devastating aftermath of Hurricane Helene.

In an Instagram post Oct. 3, the 47-year-old announced that he will sign over all publishing royalties from the release of his new song “Darkest Hour” to the state relief effort.

The song debuted Oct. 4 and marks his first solo in over three years, with proceeds to go toward providing immediate aid to victims of the storm.

“It’s a refuge for me,” he said of his home state. “It’s a place where I’ve always said my soul was at rest.”

“Specifically in the area that I’m from, the mountains of western North Carolina were devastated. There are places that are just biblically gone,” he said.

Hurricane Helene first made landfall Sept. 26 on the Gulf Coast in Florida as a Category 4 storm and wreaked havoc across the Southeast.

More than 200 people have died in what is considered to be one of the deadliest storms to hit the U.S. this century. Millions of homes and businesses have been left without power, with catastrophic flooding destroying hundreds of roads and bridges.

In addition to the song royalties, Church’s The Chief Cares Fund is directing its charitable efforts to the people who were directly impacted by the hurricane, including South Carolina, Tennessee, Georgia, and Florida.

The musician told fans and followers they can donate to his fund, but helping him raise awareness of the devastation will also assist in the relief efforts.

Earlier this week, the Granite Falls native took to social media calling for a community effort to help people who are still stranded, trapped, or in need of extraction from flood zones.

“These are our family members, friends, and neighbors ... anyone who knows anything about me knows what North Carolina and specifically this area in the mountains means to me personally as well as creatively,” he wrote.

Church was going to hold off on releasing any new music until next year, but given the circumstances, he felt this new song was the best way to help those in dire need.

The singer said “Darkest Hour” was broadly about challenging times that people have had in their life, but has since forever dedicated the song to the victims and unsung heroes of Hurricane Helene, as many people are in “their darkest hour right now.”

“Hang in there, because in your darkest hour there are people that are going to come running to help you,” Church said.

Other famous names have joined in on relief efforts, including actor Chris Pratt who in recent days called on Americans to join him in helping the victims.

“I think what makes this country great has always been the people in the community, and the people who are willing to step up. It’s not up to other people, it’s up to us,” said Pratt in an Instagram post.

Pratt said he will be making donations, before noting “people showing up and putting boots on the ground” are what make the “fabric of society, not the government.”

Meanwhile, country singer Morgan Wallen—a Tennessee native—also donated $500,000 to the American Red Cross through his charity organization.